Earth Angel
by Luppi-tan
Summary: Obviously TophxAang. The gang escapes the Fire Nation after the failed invasion. Unfortunately, the air temple is under the mountain, and a certain blind someone has trouble getting down. Aang saves her, but their conflicted feelings threaten the peace


"Toph?" Aang said gently, knocking on Toph's door in the Western Air Temple. He had all but forgotten about the miserable failure that had plagued him just hours ago. Of course, it wasn't every day that one of his best friends nearly got themselves killed. He wasn't angry at Toph. Perhaps he was concerned at how independent she liked to be, but not angry. He didn't think that he could be angry with her if he tried. She used to annoy him constantly with her loud mouth, foul temper and obnoxious demeanor. But now, it was almost… endearing, maybe?

"Aang… I-I'm sorry. I hate being blind! I hate always being a burden to everyone! I HATE IT!!" she shrieked, punching a wall, putting a hole through it despite the fact that it was made of solid rock.

"Toph, stop. You aren't a burden. You think that not being able to climb a rope is going to make you any less important? You know, it's kind of funny, actually…" Aang said, laughing slightly.

"Just before we met you, we went to Omashu so that I could learn Earthbending from an old friend of mine. But he said that I had to learn from someone who waits and listens to the Earth. It was like he knew that you were out there. And then, we got stuck in this weird swamp and we all started having hallucinations, and I started seeing images of you. I kept trying to catch up, but you were always just out of my reach."

"Aang, does any of this have a point?" Toph asked bluntly. Aang thought for a moment and nodded.

"I guess the point is that whenever I think about you, I feel the same way that I did in the swamp… Like you're always just out of my reach. Like I'll never be really close to you." Aang said, putting a hand on Toph's cheek and gently brushing it.

"Aang!!" Toph said, pushing Aang off of her bed and moving over to the opposite side, turning crimson red. Aang shook his head, standing up, and, upon realizing what he had just done, he gasped.

"I-I'm sorry, Toph!! P-please, just forget that I said anything!!" Aang said, running out of her room and slamming the door before she could say anything to stop him.

Toph groaned and hit herself over the head as hard as she could, berating herself for being such a moron.

"STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!" She cried loudly. "I just had a perfect opportunity to tell Aang how I felt and I push him away, just like I always push him away!! He probably hates me, now!!" Toph cried, falling to tears, covering her face with her hands. For a moment, she thought back to what had happened just an hour ago.

"_Toph, are you sure it's a good idea for you to use the ropes? You can't see when you do."_

"_Yeah, yeah, Twinkletoes! I'll be fine!"_

_ Slowly and uncertainly, Toph slid halfway down the rope and started swinging. After she felt herself getting some momentum, she let go, fully expecting to land on solid ground. Instead, she missed the floor by almost six feet, and plummeted down the Cliffside. Aang yelled her name and grabbed his glider, jumping off after her. Diving in a freefall, he opened up just underneath Toph and caught her on his back, bringing her up to the temple safely._

"Aang was so brave. He saved my life, and this is how I thank him!? By yelling at him and pushing him!?"

"Toph? Are you alright?" Came a feminine voice from the doorway, Toph looked over and fell off her bed in shock.

"K-Katara!! Haven't you ever heard of knocking!?" Toph screamed at Katara who merely shrugged and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. I thought something might be wrong, and I was worried about you. I saw Aang run out of here. He looked really upset. Was something bothering him?"

"Well… He… I-I… N-none of your business!!"

"Fair enough. Can I ask what you were talking about?"

"No!"

"Aang told you he liked you, didn't he?"

"Gah!! H-how did you… I mean… W-what!?"

"I'm not psychic. I already knew that Aang liked you from the way he was always staring at you. You didn't notice because you're blind, but I'm pretty sure that everyone else has. You like Aang, too, right?"

"I guess so. Why should I tell him, though? He needs someone who's… More compatible with him. He and I are just… Too different. Our style, our personalities. Maybe in the end it just comes down to him deserving someone… better than me. Smarter, prettier, nicer…"

"Toph!" Katara said quietly, sitting down next to her and putting an arm on her shoulder. "You are pretty. You are smart, and… just because you're different doesn't mean that you're worth any less."

"But I can't even see. I'll never be able to swim or fly, or climb a rope. I'd just be holding him back. Remember when we were going through the Serpent's Pass? It was my fault that we were almost killed because I couldn't swim."

"Toph! It isn't your fault that you're blind, and it's not such a bad thing. Did Aang ever tell you the story of when we got stuck in this really weird swamp?"

"Yeah. He just told me that one when he was in here before you. Then he compared his feelings now to how he felt in the swamp… Something like… I'm just out of his reach. I'm not really sure I understand, though."

"Aang is kind of a hard person to understand. For us, the choices that we make don't have a very big effect. I mean, they may affect our own lives acutely, but as for the entire world, we are rather insignificant. Even though it makes me kind of lonely to think about how ineffectual I am in this world, it's true nonetheless. We became slightly more important because of our association with Aang, but he still outshines us in everything. The decisions that he makes, or fails to make, affect the entire world. And they don't just affect our world, either. They also affect the balance between our world and the Spirit World. That's a heavy burden to carry for anyone, but especially for someone who's only thirteen."

"But Aang is 113, Katara…" Toph said, looking at her, even though she couldn't see.

"No he isn't. He may have been technically alive for 113 years, but he isn't 113, because 100 of those years were spent frozen in an iceberg. Aang is probably confused about his feelings for you, just like any adolescent would be. But I didn't really come in here to talk about Aang. I came in here to talk about you."

"Have I done something wrong?"

"No. Not at all. I've been experimenting with my water healing on creatures who have been blinded by lacerations, and thus far, I've been able to heal the cuts and give them their sight back. I don't know if it will work for you because you were born blind, rather than becoming blind due to an injury. I don't think that it could hurt you, though. Would you like me to try it?"

"Try… making me able to see? But why would you do that for me? I never really got the feeling that you liked me very much. You were always the one person that I wanted more than anything to become close to, because you always seemed the hardest to please."

"Toph. I never disliked you. I just found it hard to get used to your personality. It's very different from mine, and I disliked the way you were being so reckless. You knew that we were being hunted, and you deliberately did things that would draw attention to us. I wasn't sure if you just enjoyed the thrill of putting us in danger, or if you were acting out against your parents, but I couldn't let you put Aang at risk. The world needs the Avatar now more than ever, and we can't let Aang die."

"I-I'm sorry, Katara… I just… I never got the freedom that I wanted when I lived at home, so I abused the freedom that I had when I was with you guys. I never meant to put anyone in danger. I don't think that I deserve to be given my eyesight back."

"Toph… Being able to see has nothing to do with how good a person you are. Just lay down, alright?" Katara said with a gentle smile. She watched as Toph laid down on the bed and breathed deeply, relaxing her muscles. Katara drew water out of her gourd and held it in the air for a moment.

"This might sting a bit, Toph. Eyesight healing isn't the same as regular healing. It requires the stimulation of a different kind of energy, and I'm not very experienced at it yet."

"I understand. Just do your best. I can't ask any more than that."

Katara nodded and brought the water down on Toph's eyes, who lay still for a moment until a tingling sensation set in. Then, slowly, the tingling built up to a sting, which became a burning sensation, as though her eyes were on fire. This was nothing like the healing that Toph had become used to. It was strange, like liquid pain dousing her face. But she forced herself to stay still, only twitching slightly to show her discomfort. Katara took one hand off the job and put it over Toph's forehead, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She then kept the hand on Toph's head, trying to comfort her as she healed her. After a few minutes, Katara pulled the water away and put it back in her gourd. Toph opened her eyes. Everything was terribly blurry, but she could see. She looked around at all the vague colors that adorned the room. Katara leaned in and looked into Toph's eyes, which were no longer milky, although they were slightly unfocused, reflecting the blurriness of her vision.

Slowly, the world came into sharper detail, although never once could she see perfectly. Toph looked around again as her vision cleared and smiled at Katara, hugging her tightly… At least until Katara said, "Um, Toph? That's a bedpost."

"Oh… hehehe… I thought you seemed kind of skinny. It's incredible, Katara. Thank you. I can't see perfectly, but I can still see."

"I was nervous that it wouldn't work. Perhaps we can have another try tomorrow."

"Sure. If you'll excuse me, I have to see Aang… I think I may have hurt his feelings."

Toph knocked on Aang's door, but didn't hear an answer. Perhaps he was sleeping, or was busy doing something. Maybe he was out, working on Firebending with Zuko, who Toph still wasn't sure if she trusted, but had decided to give a chance, due mostly to the fact that Aang desperately needed a Firebending instructor. Instead of waiting for him to answer, she opened the door and walked in, looking around. Aang was lying on his bed. She could tell because of the human shaped figure on the square thing in the corner.

"Aang?" She said quietly, causing Aang to jump nearly a foot in the air, and fall off the bed, crashing to the floor unceremoniously. Toph ran over to him and put out a hand to help him up. Aang didn't take it, though. Instead, he cracked his neck and stood up on his own, jumping over the bed with a small gust of wind and walking toward the door. Toph blocked his way, though, by forcing the door closed in his face.

"Not getting away that easily, Aang… I have to tell you something…"

"I don't need your pity, Toph!!" Aang said resentfully, refusing to look at her. Had he looked, he would have noticed that she was staring straight at him instead of slightly to the right as she usually did. I-I just need to know that you don't hate me. I'm sorry that I acted like that. It was foolish for me to think that I ever had a chance with the great and influential Toph Bei Fong." Aang said. Even though he sounded angry, his plea for her not to hate him rang more of embarrassment than resentment.

"AANG!!" Toph said. It was now her turn to be angry. She stormed over to him and punched him in the face, furious that he really thought so little of her.

"How could you even _think_ that I'd be so shallow!? I wasn't angry, and I could never hate you. I was just… Surprised by what you said…" She said quietly, blushing slightly. She could feel the heat rising to her face.

"I-I was always certain that with someone as beautiful and cultured as Katara in front of you, that you could never fall in love with someone as plain and coarse as me…"

"Toph… Y-you are beautiful. When you lived with your parents, you were always repressed and forced into isolation. But that was never who you were. Besides, your personality is one of the things that I like most about you. You're so different from the way that I am. It's like a breath of fresh air, so to speak…" Aang said quietly. Then, he looked nervously at Toph. Toph could feel the heat rising up off of Aang, almost as much as it was rising up off of her. Moments later, though, Aang said, "Toph? Would… you be angry if I kissed you?"

Toph looked at Aang for a moment, and then took his lips with hers, holding her position next to him, certain that if there was a heaven, that this would be it. When they pulled away, Aang looked at Toph and smiled, his eyes widening.

"Toph… Your eyes. They're sparkling like emeralds. They're beautiful. Does this mean that you can see, now?" Aang asked, leaning in and taking both of her hands in both of his. Blushing, Toph nodded and said, "Katara restored my vision. It's still a little blurry, but I can see you, now if I try hard enough. She's going to do it again tomorrow, and maybe eventually I'll be able to see as well as you or Katara."

"That would be great, Toph. I'm really happy for you…" Aang said, kissing Toph again as the sun set below the horizon on the Western Air Temple. Perhaps they had not won the battle that day, but Aang had realized a dream far more important to him. He was kissing his Earth Angel.

**The End**

A/N: Well, that's it. I know it doesn't have a lemon in it like I usually have, but I think it's still just as good. Please read and review.


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